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Friday, January 2, 2015

Vatican City, 2 January 2015 (VIS) –
Following the celebration of Holy Mass on the Solemnity of Holy Mary,
Mother of God, and on the 48th World Day of Peace, Pope Francis
appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace
to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
Before the Marian prayer, the Pontiff gave a short address.

“On this first day of the year, in
the joyful atmosphere of Christmas, the Church invites us to fix our
gaze of faith and of love on the Mother of Jesus. … It is
impossible to separate contemplation of Jesus, the Word of life Who
is made visible and tangible, from contemplation of Mary, who has
given Him her love and her human flesh. At the beginning of a new
year, it is good to remember the day of our Baptism: we rediscover
the gift received in that Sacrament which has regenerated us to new
life, the divine life. And this is through the Mother Church, which
has as its model the Mother Mary. Thanks to our Baptism we have been
introduced to communion with God and are no longer at the mercy of
evil and sin, but instead receive the love, tenderness, and mercy of
the heavenly Father”.

“This closeness of God to our
existence gives us true peace, the divine gift we especially wish to
implore today, World Day of Peace. … Peace is always possible and
our prayer is at the root of peace. Prayer enables peace to
germinate. Today, World Day of Peace, 'Slaves no more, but brothers
and sisters': this is the message of this Day. Because wars make
slaves of us, always. It is a message that affects all of us. We are
all required to fight against every form of slavery and to build
fraternity. All of us – each person according to his or her own
responsibility”.

Pope Francis urged those present to
pray to Mary, Mother of God and Our Mother, to present her our good
intentions and to ask her to extend the mantle of her maternal
protection over us, every day of the new year. Following the Marian
prayer, the Pope greeted the faithful in the square and wished them a
happy new year. Shortly after the tolling of the “Maria Dolens”
bell in Trentino, made in honour of the fallen in all the wars and
blessed by Pope Paul VI in 1965, was heard by live connection. “May
there never again be wars, but always a desire for and commitment to
peace and brotherhood among peoples”, he concluded.